Romford households pay £500 funnelled to City Hall for services including policing that is mainly spent in inner London.
‘The people of Romford are angry that they are not getting the police cover they are paying for. We need a better deal for Havering to keep the streets of Romford and Hornchurch safe. If Sadiq Khan refuses to rectify this, then we must reform the way policing operates and consider a new structure.’
Today we continue our series on Parliamentary Prospective Candidates sharing their views on knife crime. Conservative Candidate for Romford Andrew Rosindell writes:
Under Sadiq Khan’s watch, knife crime continues to skyrocket across ‘Greater London’ year by year, and our communities in Havering are paying the price. Every year, the average household in the Romford constituency pays around £500 which is funnelled to City Hall for services, including policing. However, this money is mainly being spent in Inner London, leaving us short-changed and without the police cover we need.
Remember, it was Labour who closed Collier Row Police Station and other Police Stations across Havering. Labour never prioritise our borough, it’s always inner London that comes first when Labour are in charge!
The question should be asked: why are we in the same policing zone as Bromley instead of Brentwood? We are Essex here, not London, and our police cover should reflect that. With the Elizabeth Line and public transport connecting Romford and Gidea Park to inner London, violent criminals travel easily from the capital to our towns, making our neighbourhoods less safe.
Community policing is essential. Local bobbies on the beat, who know their patch and the residents they serve can make a real difference. They understand our unique challenges and can build trust within the community. We also need to adopt a strict policy of stop and search, which Labour will continue to refuse to implement due to their worry that they may offend people. People’s lives are far more important than Labour’s ‘woke’ ideology! Yet above all, our need for a robust police presence is being ignored. Instead of prioritising Havering, most of our police resources are being stationed in inner city London. This is unacceptable. We are not getting value for money, and our safety is being compromised.
Throughout my time as Member of Parliament for Romford and as Councillor for Chase Cross ward before that, tackling crime and pushing for harsher penalties for violent criminals has been at the forefront of my politics. It is truly sickening that while Sadiq Khan has failed to get a grip on knife crime, he resorts to making ‘jokes’, such as that following the incident in Hainault on the 30th April, rather than addressing the issue head-on.
In March, I attended the knife crime summit—an opportunity to meet local community groups who are fighting the good fight to ensure our streets become safer for all. I was pleased to see our community coming together at the Summit held at Romford Baptist Church. This was a positive step, allowing local people to voice their concerns. However, tangible actions must be taken on a political level.
That’s why I have consistently called for a review of police allocation in our area, raising the matter in Parliament and lobbying City Hall, and working with Superintendent Simon Hutchinson, Havering’s head of local policing, to ensure change occurs.
I have also raised this serious issue on the floor of the house, with the most recent opportunity being on the first sitting day following the Easter recess, when I pushed the Minister of State for Crime, Policing, and Fire to intervene with urgent policing reforms in our corner of ‘Greater London’.
The people of Romford are angry that they are not getting the police cover they are paying for. We need a better deal for Havering to keep the streets of Romford and Hornchurch safe. If Sadiq Khan refuses to rectify this, then we must reform the way policing operates and consider a new structure, working with our neighbouring communities in Essex to spend our money locally and decide for ourselves what must be done to keep our homes and communities safe.
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